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The Cornerstone of Your Life

I found myself at a party for retired teachers at my former school. I felt that I was not really welcome there. The hostess seemed very insincere in welcoming me. I noticed a large basket on a counter which held gift mugs for the retired teachers. There was a nametag on each mug and I didn’t see one with my name on it. I told one of the other retired teachers there that I was going to leave as I believed I was there mistakenly. She told me it would be rude if I left before the party was over. I thought to myself, “Look who’s talking about being rude! I’m leaving anyway.” Just as I awoke from the dream, this bible verse came to my mind, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

It is painful to be rejected, to be excluded, to be told you don’t or cannot belong. As difficult as these experiences can be, however, they may also serve as the starting point for the discovery of a new direction, or path, in your life. You are on your own; turned out to find your way; to discover and clarify your own beliefs and calling.

There is no cup for the dreamer amid a party of former colleagues, no container or vessel to draw nourishment from. In other words, the path taken by other retired teachers won’t feed her soul. This theme was amplified in her other dreams where she would encounter a theatre with no available seats, no locker at the gym, and images of disinterested people who could offer no help, provide no answers.

The cornerstone is an integral part of a building. It is where the vertical structure begins. Symbolically, it forms the foundation of the entire enterprise that is your development as an individual. Likewise that which makes you unique becomes the cornerstone of your individuality. What is tossed aside, excluded, or rejected by the collective is often what holds the kernel, or germ, of your individuality. Your rejection is an invitation to discover your true self, to live the life only you can live.

The dream suggests that in finding your own path, daring to discover the answers that come from deep within you, a solid foundation is begun, a cornerstone is laid. What endures the longest and withstands the storms and ravages of time are the things that are most fully yourself, most fully expressive of your true nature and potential.